Success Stories

“Michele is a gifted and talented manager with tremendous passion and energy for what she does. Michele is a powerful coach and insightful mentor. Her employees often achieved levels of success beyond their own expectations. The feedback Michele received from those that worked for her was she had a keen ability to recognize the strengths that they often didn’t see in themselves and bring those to the forefront. Michele’s teams consistently delivered the highest level of results and the employees she managed have gone on to excel in other parts of the organization. In addition to her own success as a manager, Michele was sought out frequently to mentor and coach other managers that were struggling. It is exciting to see Michele take her talent for managing people and coaching and combine it. I think she has a lot to offer so confidently recommend her as a coach working with managers at all levels of an organization.

Kristina Ota Belfiore, former Director at Microsoft and direct manager of Michele

“With Michele’s insightful coaching, I found the courage to see myself clearly as more than an Executive Communications Manager for a president at a Fortune 10 company, but as his Chief Storyteller. She encouraged me to think fearlessly about how I could make the biggest impact and leave a meaningful, lasting legacy–even if my work and approach to true storytelling might startle and unsettle others temporarily. That Michele-infused fearlessness is the heartbeat of my new career: encouraging corporations, non-profits, and governmental agencies around the country to find and tell their own authentic, meaningful stories.”

“I had never realized until coaching with Michele, how easy it is to only see things one way. Michele has helped me to open my mind to looking at things that are challenging in many different ways. Michele is helping me to catch old bad habits and replace them with new more healthy perspectives. I feel like my confidence and self esteem/self worth has improved immensely since we started working together and I am reaching more of my goals faster than ever before. That, I am very thankful for.”

A.E.

“Michele is all about quality. She is a highly talented people development consultant and coach. As a people manager, Michele has a reputation as being ‘the best.’ Top performers wanted to report to Michele and she was known as an ‘attractor of talent.’ Michele is known as a key leader, strong mentor, advocate for entry level talent and piloted some of the technology innovations for tracking success metrics still in place today. Now as a consultant Michele is focused on people and management development. Her passion to help make others great is reflected in everything she does. I highly endorse Michele and all of the services she offers.”

Deborah Cragen-Larsen, Founding Partner, Coppei Partners

“Who are you becoming?

It’s a catchy e-mail signature, but the question scared me to death. After spending years in the tech industry, I just wasn’t sure I knew the answer to the question. With a full time career and a rather active social calendar, making time for some independent thinking was tough. Even after making the time… I was still not quite sure of the answer. The energy I was expending looking for the answer made just “being” whomever I was feel increasingly cumbersome.

Fast forward to today – where things seem quiet/peaceful and amazingly simplified. Make no mistake life is and most likely always will be busy, but I am clear on who I am and what I want. Thus, I am able to focus on what matters and have energy left over to enjoy living and give back to those people and causes that mean the most to me.

As a coach/mentor/guide, Michele was there with me every step of the way. Her confidence that I could do it, along with her unique approach and various ideas to help push me out of my comfort zone were refreshing. Most importantly for me, she never let me get away from the hard questions. She helped pushed me to fight for my own best interests and dreams even before I could articulate what those were.

I am excited to recommend her services to anyone who dreams of enjoying the view from the mountain top, but may need a little help planning your route and/or some help with the technical aspects of the climb once the accent is underway.”

Anonymous

“I worked for Michele for several years and truly consider her one of the best people managers I have had the pleasure to have known and worked with closely. Even later when I partnered alongside her as a peer, I continued to learn from her management practices and can say that to this day I still model management style aspects that I picked up from her. (And I would not have been her peer had it not been for Michele’s encouragement that I explore my own management potential!) Michele first and foremost is a “coach” – helping others make the best decisions based upon the environment and factors at play and their own objectives. She has a unique ability to help identify a person’s natural capabilities and innate talents. She also demonstrates a genuine enthusiasm for the success of others that comes from true caring and compassion and desire to help people reach their greatest heights. Combine those qualities from the heart with her innate logical and analytical ability to zero in on the true issues and critical outcomes and to measure success, you have a seasoned, versatile, and dedicated coach and mentor.

Michele also is a life-long learner, ensuring that she has the broadest array of tools and techniques and the most current industry research at her disposal when working with groups and individuals. I fully recommend Michele as a management and leadership consultant with absolute conviction that you will get great results in enhancing management team effectiveness and individual manager capability from working with Michele.”

Nichole Robke, former direct report and colleague at Microsoft

“I’ve worked with Michele over the past 4 years on a number of programs in the employee development space. Michele is a certified co-active coach, which allows her to be a powerful coach based on her training, certification and experience. She is amazing at creating employee programs – particularly in the manager space – that bring about transformative change. I highly recommend Michele and her programs for anyone or any organization seeking lasting change.”